Review of Carlito's Way (1993) by Sylvia G — 26 Nov 2008

How has this film eluded me the past 15 years???I love mob/gangster movies, and this is one of the best. Al Pacino plays tough-as-nails gangster Carlito who is trying to change his ways since recently being exonerated from prison by his low-life attorney (played by Sean Penn).

However, Carlito is unable to escape his past. Carlito's Way is directed by mobster afficianado Brian DePalma, who also directed Scarface. Everything about this film is authentic NY mobster's way of living.

I'm one of those people who is intrigued by this genre, and DePalma is King of his craft. He masterfully sets the mood in this film.Al Pacino is an icon of mobsters. I have a hard time believing he is NOT a mobster in real life because he does it so perfectly.

.. it's like second nature to him. However, I'm not going to jump on the Sean Penn bandwagon on this film. I think he was horribly cast here. He was annoying and unconvincing. I believe he is a top-notch actor, but I wasn't impressed with his earlier roles such as this one.

Luis Guzman plays his stereotypical token good-guy sidekick mafia well. I loved John Leguizamo's small role ... he's an incredibly underrated actor.The only downside to this film (and DePalma's films in general) is that it's a bit long-winded.

Some lengthy scenes were rather unnecessary and could have been edited out. Also the notion of disbelief in reality must be present, because in this film cops either (1) don't exist or (2) don't do anything to protect citizens or to punish criminals.

Most of the hits in this film were done in broad daylight with witnesses and cameras (like in the hospital).Overall, if you're a fan of mob/gangster movies then you should definitely check this out.

The gun battles are exciting, the mobsters are slick and cool, the pace is thrilling, the plot is rich with turns, and the women are very attractive.